Calima

The Calima culture belongs to the Valle del Cauca in Colombia. The valley was held in succession by the Ilama, Yotoco, Sonso and Malagana societies.

The Ilama, the first farming and pottery society, lived on the Calima River in chiefdoms that lasted until the Spaniards came, and grew yuca and beans, wove cloth, worked metal and fished. The Sonso culture of 800–1600 was the last of them: its population grew, its government became more centralized, and its goldwork mixed gold with copper and was cast.